PODCAST SHOW

In this episode, Kenny and Nancy Troiano explore the current state of American Gamefowl breeding, emphasizing the importance of education, breed standards, and responsible breeding practices. They discuss the need for a unified standard, the unique role of landrace breeds, and the growing concern over Progressive White, explaining why eliminating this undesirable trait is essential for preserving healthy, true-to-type bloodlines. The conversation also highlights the value of exhibitions, collaboration among breeders, and the importance of breeding with purpose rather than simply for appearance or competition. The discussion also covers audience questions on identifying Progressive White, the Breeders Academy’s educational programs, and the Founders Program for developing consistent, predictable strains. Throughout the episode, Kenny and Nancy encourage breeders to embrace lifelong learning, ethical breeding practices, and teamwork to preserve the knowledge, traditions, and quality of American Gamefowl for future generations.

Kenny Troiano and Nancy welcome back breeder Don Schrider to discuss improving laying strains and measuring egg production through hands-on appraisal, observation, and breeding strategy. Don explains chickens’ seasonal laying roots, the role of sunlight and hormones, and practical indicators of production such as vent condition, abdomen softness, pelvic and keel spacing, skin texture, and pigment loss. The conversation covers Walter Hogan’s influence, trap nests for tracking individual hens, and Hagedorn’s family-based selection approach. Don shares historical commercial insights from Monroe Babcock and E.B. Pimentel, including selecting hens that lay before 10 a.m., persistency traits, and egg size/shape culling. They address environmental, nutrition, and management factors, molting patterns, broodiness, choosing males via ancestry/sister performance, pecking order effects, and concerns about outcrossing, inbreeding definitions, and maintaining both utility and type.

On “Bred to Perfection,” host Kenny Troiano, with Nancy, interviews Mike Sayer and Matt Lhamon of the “Talking Chickens” podcast and M&M Exhibition Poultry. Mike and Matt recount how they started with poultry in the 1970s, became successful exhibitors and APA/ABA judges, and formed their partnership, emphasizing that community matters as much as birds. They discuss why they podcast: to share usable knowledge and counter misinformation. Matt explains ABA judge training, testing, apprenticeships, and the need to judge the best show bird “that day” while handling birds properly. They describe building Ohio’s junior program tied to 4-H, concerns about avian flu shutdowns, and debates over standards, especially attempts to add large fowl American Games. They also cover breeding realities: culling, consistency, slow progress, double-mating for color, and avoiding overpriced or poorly bred birds.

In this episode of Bred to Perfection, Kenny Troiano joins Nancy and guest Greg Landwehr (“the Chicken Guy”), editor and publisher of Game Fowl Times, to discuss Greg’s path into gamefowl, the return and importance of printed magazines, and his mission to create a historical record for the community through bloodlines, breeder connections, and “wow factor” articles, including work by young writers. They cover challenges like unreliable mail delivery, growing subscriptions via Facebook, and expanding the magazine through gamefowltimes.com, a newsletter, shows, and future video content. The conversation also addresses misinformation on social media, culling standards, health and medication dependence, vaccines and Marek’s risks, and debate over multiple Standards of Perfection and efforts to standardize American Games.

Kenny Troiano and Nancy discuss why breeders must recognize and cull defects, many of which are recessive and can spread through a yard if ignored. Kenny shares examples from farms and shows where duck toe and wry tail overtook entire strains, and explains that defects can be genetic even when environment or management seems involved. They cover key defects and what to look for when handling birds, including odd eyes, irregular pupils linked to disease, sunken eyes, head and beak deformities, comb faults, wry neck, body and breastbone problems, tail defects (wry tail and squirrel tail), wing issues, leg and toe defects, and bumblefoot as a management/health problem. In the after show, Kenny warns that gene flow from frequent outcrossing can change or ruin a developed strain.